Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1887-06-09

stood it should, and - ~
Gen. Webb, in his |T-SSI
Peninsula G a m =E#@
paign,n puts that
down as McClel- GEN. Z. D. KEYEs
lans first disappointment. He began the
march up the Peninsula April A, 1862. His
army was divided into two columns, right
and left The right marched up along York
river toward Yorktown, under Gen. Heint-
zelman. The left, commanded by Gen. Reyes,
followed the James river up toward Williams
burg. BY following the line of march upon
the map, the course Of the two columns win
be clear. Keyes was TO proceed as rapidly as
might be on the west and occupy Halfway
House, point on the narrow dividing ridge
which formed the watershed between the
York and James rivers. He was to halt here
and by all means prevent either the escape of
the Confederate garrison at Yorktown or the
throwing in of re-enforcements to them.
Reyes was expected to reach Halfway
House April 5. But he did not. The two
months rain Of the spring of 1862 began as
the Federal army began to move The roads
became ct some points impossible for artil-
lery.
Another thing: In all the years that the
United States had been country there never
had been en- accurate map made of this part
Of Virginia. OF the region Immediately in
front Of Eeintzeirnan's column there was no
better map than the one made when the Brit
ish besieged Yorktown in 1881. A govern
ment survey Of the Peninsula had been
made in 1918, but later than that there was
nothing to go by.
The land before McClellan's army was an
unknown region Of swamp, with rain pour
ing night and day, and lines of heavy Con-
federate Notifications between it and Rich
mond. OF all this the two advancing col
unns knew nothing, except just that it
rained That was plain enough.
April Keyes marched five miles out en-
countered the Confederate Notifications at
Lees Mills and stopped. Seven miles below
Yorktown there was line of Notifications
quite across the solid ground Of the Peninsula,
which, between the head of Warwick river
and York river, narrowed to three miles
Besides that the Confederates had damned
the deep creeks flowing into the James and
Warwick rivers, which had backed the water
into impenetrable boys.
The Confederate army Of the Peninsula was
under the immediate command of Gen. j.
Bankhead Magruder. He had prepared or
begun three lines of fertilization across the
below Yorktown While Mcclellan had
been equipping his army and getting "good
ready" at Washington, the Confederates had
been fortifying between him and Richmond
1t was the Warwick river and the fortifica-
tions along its course which stopped McClel-
lan's army, both Heintzelman on the right
and Reyes on the left. This river on the
maps Mcclellan had access to flowed parallel
with those rivers, nearly southeast. In
reality it flowed across the Peninsula between
the rivers.
1t made formidable barrier, fortified as it
was. Reyes column stopped at Lees Mills
on the Warwick, and encamped there.
Heintzelman's column approached nearer
Yorktown, where it was also stopped by the
Warwick This was Magruder's second and
most important line of Notifications. The
first had been abandoned March l. The old
line of Notifications thrown up by the British
in 1871 had been revived by Magruder Along
the line of the Warwick stretched across the
Peninsula, were II 900 Confederates, and this
was the force opposed to Mcclellan with his
army of $1,000 men.
President Lincoln kept dispatching to him
to strike a blow" Magruder expected an
attack. His troops lay upon their arms in
the trenches several days awaiting the attack.
Opposite whore McClellan's army lay, near
Yorktown, there were only 5,000l southern
troops. There was some skirmishing, nothing
more. If Mcclellan had Immediately attacked
Magrlder he could have forced his limo and
taken Yorktown without doubt.
For six days the 5000 Confederates held
Yorktown against McClellans $1,000. Then
it began to be plain what he was about He
was digging in the ground around Yorktown,
throwing up earthworks, preparing to place
heavy siege guns and go into regular invest
ment He cut roads and built bridges. And
still it rained, and McClellan-s soldiers sick
ened and died in the swamps of the War
wick
One of the Confederate Notifications on the
Federal right was known as Dam No. l.
April 16 q reconnaissance of the Confederate
position was made here by some of Gen.
William F. Smiths men, under orders from
the general in chief. The Warwick was
waist deep, but some Vermonters no
roically waded across and gained the
Confederate rife pits, which they held
for half an hour They were forced to
withdraw, the Confederates being quickly re-
enforced. Once moro some other Vermont
troops were ordered across, under protection
OF twenty guns, the division battery. But
they were met by heavy fire and were or
dered back. Gen. Smith was exceedingly
anxious to mass the division and make bold